Star Wars: Nexu Company
by Dethroned King
Summary: Soldiers. Warriors. Survivors. Among the stars and vast expanses of space, the Galactic Civil War rages. Legions of stormtroopers stand to destroy any rebellion. Despite the odds, Nexu Company leads the charge into Imperial territory; hard-bitten, war-weary, and fiercely loyal. When orders come to attack a Imperial Station, Nexu Company complies - but to what cost?
1. Chapter 1

**KANAVER**

 **DAY 36 OF THE MID-RIM ADVANCE**

The dense rain on Kanaver fell in cold sheets from a dull, colorless sky, drenching it's inhabitants. It smelled like leather, clung to the curves of of industrial buildings and skin like sweat. It left the air with the feeling of a used boot.

After thirty standard hours, the novelty was wearing off for the soldiers of Nexu Company.

Four figures, three humans and a Twi'lek, strode along a deserted avenue that was shaded by a faded canopy of patchwork fabric, light shining through weathered holes. The dirt ground made a crunching sound on their boots, a noise that stood out in the otherwise quiet atmosphere. The lead, a man with grey military vest and an assortment of armor, stenciled with the rebel symbol of a starbird, walked with his back straight up, a surly expression on his face. His long, black hair draped down from his helmet, obscuring his vision with it's dark, wet mass. He had a short, black stubble of a beard and a gaunt face, paired with a hard nose that protruded like a hawk. His eyes were slightly sunk in, giving him the look of a corpse.

His name was Cason Syndian, although he had used many others. And right now, he was silently cursing urban warfare, the Empire, obscure commands, and whatever atmospheric science made it rain. For a brief moment, his thoughts drifted to a warm bed somewhere quiet, where for once he could relax, but a wall of stubbornness pushed through. Shaking his head slightly, he instead pointed his arm towards an intersection and quickened the pace, the others stumbling in an attempt to follow him.

In the distance, sounds of blaster fire and yelling penetrated the otherwise quiet atmosphere, echoing through the narrow streets. Looking towards the sound, Cason cursed again, hoping that the company had nothing to do with it. But he knew he was wrong. Right now, the company had to do with pretty much everything on this desolate world.

As they rounded the turn, they came to face a mass of bodies, piled in a mismatched heap. Cason held up his hand, then motioned forward again. The others approached cautiously, one with his blaster raised in apprehension. When they reached him,Cason was crouched down by bodies, studying them. As he fingered an ID from a elderly man, he sighed inwardly in relief that none of these corpses were of Nexu Company, but that relief turned into regret. Slowly, Cason shook his head. _A shame,_ he thought, _but not a bad sign. Stormtroopers don't shoot civilians unless there's trouble._ Which, at the moment, there was. Plenty of it.

Tracing its faint and subtle hand along the woman's face, deprived of life, the Twi'lek slowly crouched down besides him. She bore a shade of light blue skin and was dressed in a similar manner to Cason, a military jacket with combat leggings and a rifle slung across her back. Her Lekku were draped behind her shoulder, giving her the look of rare beauty. When she spoke, her voice was light and pretty, but Cason knew that she was very serious. He had once made the mistake of labeling her . "This isn't a good thing," she murmured, looking at a boy's face. "They are escalating. Making it harder to take Kanaver peacefully."

Cason snorted. Mari was an old-timer, having fought with Nexu since it's beginning. She had seen more than him, yet she always acted horrified when something such as this occurred. In a lighter moment, Cason had dubbed her as the psychologist of the squad, but had quickly stopped when she threatened to beat him up. He knew how hard those punches could escalate to, and he hoped to never face them again.

He grunted in acknowledgement, glancing at her. She was probably right, but he hated to know that this was inadvertently the cause of him and the company. That's what it always came too - the company.

The 12th Mobile Infantry of the Rebel Alliance - commonly known as Company - had been stationed on Kanaver for more than a day, setting up a beachhead for the 32nd Infantry, who would keep Kanaver occupied. It was all part of the Mid Rim advance. In the wake of the destruction of the Empire's planet-wrecking Death Star, High Command had believed that, finally, the time was right to move out from the fringes of Imperial territory and toward its major population centers.

Thus had begun the push into the Mid Rim, involving thousands of starships, hundreds of legions, and dozens of worlds. Nexu had fought on the lush planet of Raxxus, the dense swamps of Murkhana, and countless others. Cason had lost friends, and see soldiers go weeks without proper treatment and die. He'd showed squads how to construct makeshift grenades from blaster power packs when supplies had ran low. He'd made bases out of tarps and scrap metal. He'd destroyed cities, and watched the Empire do the same. He'd left people behind on broken planets, knowing he'd never see them again.

Planet after planet, battle after battle, day after day, Nexu had fought on. Cason was beginning to grow tired of the never ending combat, but at least it was something to do. Shaking his head to clear it of the memories, he gave one final look at the dead bodies, then stood up slowly and turned away. turned away.

He made scanned the area one more time, avoiding gazing at the bodies, and pulled out his comm. "Sector Clear." Only a hiss of static replied. He cursed. The last comm tech had been a beauty working the network like magic. Most of the time she was a spice addict, and couldn't render even a coherent sentence, but her comm was so clear, it must've made those on the Imperial Network jealous she'd fallen on an unnamed planet that he'd hope to never forget. Her replacement, a techie named Arif Sydelm, was competent, but still learning the ropes, and often not focused on what he was doing. Sighing, Cason accepted that he'd have to settle with the static, and turned around back to the alley to head out. That's when the first explosion happened.

The blast shook the ground, and shards of glass and metal flew all around. His team instinctively ducked, and Cason glanced around for the source of the explosion. When he found his quarry, Cason cursed at his lack of perception. In an adjoining opening, there stood a squad of stormtroopers, armed with blaster rifles. Their white armor stood out against the dull grey of the building. One in the black, it's armour roughed up with soot and scorch marks and a pauldron, was holding a sinister-looking smart rocket.

A stormtrooper in the front jumped up and started running towards the squad, a blaster in one hand, a grenade in the other. Cason shot him down quickly, but the grenade simply fell out of the hands, primed and ready to detonate.

"Find cover!" Cason screamed as the grenade started counting down. He took out his blaster, a DH-17, and shot the windowpane of a storefront. The glass shattered on impact, sending shards flying. He jumped into the now empty window front. He had barely made it behind a small desk when the grenade imploded, kicking up dust and smoke, making visibility nearly impossible. Cason put a hand to his eyes as a shield, and scanned the area.

Mari had sheltered behind some debris, and he watched as she coolly picked off one of the troopers. Sifry and Maxxon were nowhere to seen, and he chose not to think about them. It made things easier. He jumped up and fired a quick burst of blaster bolts, but the smoke was so thick that he had no idea if he had hit anything. Another blast sounded from the opposite side of the street, signaling that the stormtroopers had fired another rocket.

He braced himself as the second explosion blasted the top of the stormfront, sending bits of graft falling down from the ceiling. Crouching down, he fingered a detonator, then reluctantly put it back on his belt. The buildings were already unstable from the rocket's explosion, and a thermal detonator could easily bring them down.

Glancing back to where the stormtroopers were, he saw the rocket trooper reloading. Cason cursed yet again and rolled out under from the desk, taking aim and firing a stream of bolts at the stormtroopers. Miraculously, one hit, sending the trooper reeling backward. _Three more to go_ , Cason thought. He shot one more down, then dived for cover behind a pile of debris, staying still as several blaster bolts streaked right next to him.

Turning to the side, He found himself lying down next to Mari, who was busy discarding a blaster power pack. She didn't look at him, focused in her task. Cason couldn't blame her. If you were out of ammunition, you were pretty much out of the battle for good. "Came to join the party?" she asked, her voice dry with sarcasm.

Ignoring the jab, Cason scanned the surroundings. After a minute of looking around, he finally asked, "Where are Sifry and Maxxon?"

Mari gestured towards a body. "Sifry was taken by surprise. She's gone. Maxxon's. . ." she shrugged her shoulders, spreading her arms wide apart. "Gone. Either hiding, waiting for the perfect chance, or left to get reinforcements. But certainly not dead." She didn't voice the possibility that he deserted, and Cason didn't feel the need to supply her with it. They were busy enough without worrying about a renegade.

Cason muttered a very ugly insult about the stupidity of this whole firefight, then grabbed his blaster with both hands. "I can take them out, I just need cover."

Mari rolled her eyes. "Sure thing, Syndian. Just come out alive, will you? Can't report another death, can I?" She grabbed her blaster rifle, which was a modified DX-R6 carbine. She started shooting at random, drawing the trooper's attention. She also took the liberty to chuck over a flash bang that she had made, inventing the technique on Murkhana. On the swamp planet, it would scare away predators and blow water everywhere, drenching stormtroopers and technology. She still had a few left over, and as the grenade went off, Cason hoped he wouldn't be caught in it's deafening blow. He quickly rolled out from the cover and began firing at random, in point blank range. He fired until the blaster could take no more, and it's anti-heating mechanisms clicked in, shutting off the blaster.

When the dust cleared, all the troopers lay dead, with two shots for Cason and another for Mari. Cason stood up, wiping some grime from his coat. Mari walked over, rifle slung over her shoulder casually, the left side of her faced darkened with soot, but otherwise okay. "Looks like the Imp's are giving us a going away present" she said sarcastically.

Cason snorted. He stood up and took an account of the damage. The front of the ship was demolished, and the ground was pockmarked with charred holes from blasters and debris, but otherwise everything was okay. Then he remembered Sifry's body, and his face darkened momentarily. He took a deep breath and let it out. It was all a part of war.

Mari stretched, giving a slight yawn. She looked around, then turned to face Cason. "Still know idea where Maxxon is?" she asked, her distaste for the desertion rebel clear in her voice.

Cason didn't make any gesture that was for or against Maxxon's case. "For all I know, he could be dead, too."

Mari looked off into the distance, but Cason could detect a small sigh. "Then we're all that's left of the squad."

Originally, when they had landed at Kanaver, Cason's squad had been made up of seven people, not including him. There had been Donder, who had been taken out by a sniper at a plaza. Then Maris and Alistari had been killed by a proximity mine in a crowded street. Then, only a day ago, Flax had been been shot during an ambush had eliminated a Nexu transport. Finally, Sifry and Maxxon, who were now dead or presumed so. So much for his squad.

A slight hiss of static erupted from Cason's comm, and he hastily picked it up. "This is Cason Syndian, responding. Over."

More static, then finally a voice broke through. It was Lieutenant Ellenbrook, his Coruscanti accent sharp and unforgiving. "Syndian, your squad was due to turn in twenty minutes ago. Where are you? Over."

Cason sighed, and for a moment considered engaging in a fight with Ellenbrook. Quickly, he realised two things; one, he could be court-martialled for attacking Ellenbrook, and more importantly, he couldn't throw a punch through a comm. Instead, he responded through grit teeth. "Ambush by Imperials. One dead, one missing. Over."

A brief hiss of static followed Cason's message, when Arif's voice took over. "Sorry, Ellenbrook had to attend to some recruitments. Return immediately to base camp. Over."

"Message received. Over." The comm static shut off, and Cason could tell that Arif had cut transmission on his end. He muttered a brief curse, then turned to Mari, who was staring at him expectantly. "What'd they ask?" She questioned him, seeing the anger in his eyes.

Cason shoved the comm into a vest pocket and turned to the way to the standing base. Over his shoulder, he said, "Ellenbrook wants us to turn in. They've been informed of the ambush. We are to return immediately."

Mari could easily detect the anger in Cason's voice, but chose not to say anything. From what she knew, Cason just needed a little time to cool off. She had witnessed these bits of anger before many times, in her own home, during the Clone Wars, throughout the age of the Empire. It was best not to brood on stuff like that - it only made things worse. So, she said nothing as they walked back to their base camp in silence.


	2. Chapter 2

**KANAVER**

 **DAY 36 OF THE MID-RIM ADVANCE**

Officially, the city was Kanaver Industrial Sector One, but everyone just called it Kiso, and abbreviation that was easier on the tongue. From experience, Cason had learned that what the Empire didn't name to inspire terror - it's stormtrooper legions, it's Star Destroyer battle ships - it tried to render as drab as possible. It didn't bother Cason, but then again, it wasn't his home that was being labeled.

Half a dozen squads had already returned from patrol when Cason and Mari stumbled into the camp. The rain had condensed into a heavy mist, blurring objects in the distance as they struggled to focus. The patched canopies and tents offered little shelter, forcing men and woman in ragged armor to find the driest corner they could find, grumbling about one thing or another. A few turned and gave a quick glance as Cason and Mari entered, but most weren't aware of their presence, too absorbed with themselves to say anything.

"Stop admiring yourselves and do something _useful_ ," barked Cason, barely breaking stride. "Support teams could use help loading supplies into drop ships if you're too good to guard."

Instantly, the squads responded, jumping into different tasks. Some started hoisting canisters of power packs as others carried crates of provisions. A few of the lazier squadrons hoisted their weapons and started patrolling the perimeter, keeping an eye for returning units and approaching enemies.

One man swiftly darted up to him, a fresh, young recruit that had only been with the company for almost half a year know, if Cason remembered correctly. He was usually in charge of the new recruits, and despite hating the job, he made sure to pay attention to the. It took a few more seconds for Cason to remember his name, but then it resurfaced - _Teshol Naamaar_. The Devaronian had become infamous in the company for single handedly taking down an Imperial Scout transport with a few well-placed Ion Grenades. After that, he'd been given his own squadron as a promotion, but ever since had been a slacker, always looking for the easy way out. He'd somehow manage to secure the easiest tasks for his squad, the least dangerous patrol routes.

Teshol took a few moments to catch his breath, then stood up straight, only coming to Cason's chin. "Does this mean we're finally leaving Kanaver?" he asked, his voice not unlike a serpent, almost as if it were a whisper. He gestured towards the men loading up supplies into dropships. "We've been here for almost two days. It'd make sense," he said as an afterthought

Cason sighed to himself. He guessed the only reason Teshol cared about their actions were so he could finally relax onboard the _Earthquake_ , the Corellian Corvette that acted as the transport for Nexu Company. "I don't know," Cason briefly replied, looking away and waving Teshol off. "Go and ask Ellenbrook or Leistrom. Someone who actually knows what they're doing around here. And cares," he added under his breath. Teshol shrugged, giving up, then turned and walked away briskly, finding someplace to sleep, for all Cason knew.

Mari observed the interaction, but didn't say anything about it. She knew that Cason practically despised Teshol, and she herself didn't have good feelings towards the Devaronian. But she'd been there when Teshol had taken out the AT-ST, and she had been impressed.

Cason resumed walking, occasionally barking orders at more soldiers, who would immediately jump up and pretend that they were making use of their times. Despite Cason's anger, he couldn't resist smirky slightly. Being First Sergeant had it's advantages.

As Cason and Mari rounded a corner, they ran into a tall, heavily built soldier. Cason backpedaled a bit, then brushed himself off, glaring and looking up to reprimand the soldier. Then he stepped back again, this time out of surprise. It was Maxxon.

Maxxon's long, wavy brown hair was matted and wet, hanging over in mismatched locks all over his head. His face was darkened with ash and scorch marks, and a long, ugly scar ran from his chin to his left brow. His eyes had a wild, hungered look, and he gave the impression of a desperate animal fighting for survival. He was breathing heavily, sweat rolling down in beads and wetting his dark, almost black stubble. His military vest was similarly drenched in rain, sweat, and stained with ash and scorch marks. "Cason," he breathed. "I can explain."

It took Cason a moment to recollect his thoughts, but he was all fury. "You mean you could explain deserting us, leaving your comrades in the midst of battle?"

Maxxon shrugged, making Cason even more infuriated. "I was taking care of the second fire-team that you missed. It seems like you owe me an apology, Sergeant."

Cason was at a temporary loss for words. "I - I don't owe you anything, Corporal. If you want to keep your position, I suggest leaving _now_ , and staying out of the way."

Maxxon grunted, shrugging again, and hoisting his rifle over his shoulder. "If you insist," he rumbled, and shoved past Cason towards a team that was moving boxes, walking slowly and heavily, his heavily-rimmed boots thudding against the soft ground.

Mari watched as Maxxon walked away, then turned to Cason. "That went well," she remarked, stretching her hand behind her back. "Are you going to make up with him, or just vent at him?"

Cason gave her a brief, cold look. "I have enough to worry about with the war and the state of the company," he replied. "I don't need to worry about a renegade soldier, either."

As they walked on, they eventually came to the makeshift command center, a datatable covered by a slightly less patchwork piece of canvas stretched in a marquee. Officers and orderlies were clustered around it, watching blips on the holographic screen move around. Some held datapads, taking notes or reviewing information. In the middle, his back facing Cason, was Lieutenant Ellenbrook.

In his opinion, Lieutenant Ellenbrook was on of the most daft-headed men in Nexu Company, as Cason would often remark in his lighter moments. But even Cason had to admit that Ellenbrook could have his benefits. He was an excellent tactician and an expert on guessing and interpreting the Empire's moves, which had saved Nexu Company more than once.

Cason strode up to him, pushing through several orderlies who were making off on their various business. As he walked up to Ellenbrook, the Lieutenant turned, his tall stature intimidating and authoritative. Despite himself, Cason cleared his throat.

Ellenbrook was the first one to talk cutting off Cason. "Looks like you've managed to make it back, Sergeant Syndian, although you're more than twenty minutes late," he said, his Coruscanti accent obvious. Like many among the alliance, Ellenbrook had defected from the Empire, and instead had turned to the Rebellion. It was a popular rumor along the company the Ellenbrook was from Coruscanti nobility, but if he was, he definitely didn't show it.

He was dressed in a rugged Alliance jacket, padded for combat and stitched with the symbol of a Lieutenant. His pants were very rugged and utilitarian, but despite his appearance he gave a sense of command. Cason had looked to the Lieutenant as a source of direction in the company, but they regularly chafed against each other while on duty.

"Looks like you've managed to let two Imperial Squadrons skip through your 'invincible' perimeter," Cason retorted.

"The only reason _eight_ stormtroopers managed to cross our lines was because of some certain squadron's incompetence," Ellenbrook replied haughtily. "You should have kept your sector well patrolled."

Cason walked up to Ellenbrook, putting a finger on his chest. His head barely reached Ellenbrook's chin, so he had to look up to speak to him. "I lost a valuable soldier in that fight," he breathed. "I will _not_ be told off for keeping my sector supposedly unpatrolled."

Mari walked up to Cason and put a soft hand on his shoulder. "It would be best if for once you could keep your temper around him. He is our commanding officer, after all," she whispered into his ear.

"Captain Sharp is my commanding officer," Cason hissed back. "I don't need some Lieutenant telling me what to do." He shrugged off Mari, who raised her hands in defeat and stepped back.

"Captain Sharp is not here," Ellenbrook drawled on, turning around and walking slowly back to the datatable. 'He's back at the _Earthquake_ , most likely receiving orders for our new course of action."

Cason stood facing Ellenbrook's back as Ellenbrook crouched down at the datatable. "So we're indeed leaving?" he asked

Ellenbrook slowly turned back to Cason, an exasperated expression on his face. "Are you idiotic? Of course we're leaving Kanaver. When it comes to the big things, Kanaver isn't that special. There's a reason the Imperials aren't trying to send reinforcements, you know."

Cason didn't reply to Ellenbrook's jab against him, and put his hands behind his back. "I know we're leaving, Ellenbrook," he said, emphasizing his words to put an edge on them. "I was merely not sure. We lost many good soldiers taking this planet. Something you wouldn't know," he said, muttering the last line under his breath.

Ellenbrook raised his eyebrow, but beyond that did nothing. "I believe that the Captain has something planned, but if he does, I would not know. He has not told me," he said slightly bitterly. "Meanwhile, I want you up on our third transport. Damran's squadron held a open recruitment, and I want to in charge of the new recruits."

Cason groaned, sheathing his blaster pistol in his pocket. "Great. I don't know what we're doing, and now I'm assigned to the fresh meat."

Ellenbrook said nothing, just stared at Cason. Grumbling, Cason turned around and began walking away, Mari following him. "One more thing, Syndian!" Ellenbrook called.

Cason turned back around, groaning. "What now, Ellenbrook?"

Even from a distance, Ellenbrook's gaze was piercing. "I'm assigning you to a new squadron."


End file.
